"Mitochondrial regulation of cellular function"

Scientists from the University of Cologne,  the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research in Cologne and  from the University of Bonn have teamed up to study how mitochondria influence activity, differentiation and survival of the cell. The Collaborative Research Centre (CRC)/Sonderforschungsbereich (SFB) 1218 on Mitochondrial regulation of cellular function has been funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) since July 2016. In June 2024, we are happy to announce that the CRC 1218 is entering its third phase, funded by the German Research Foundation until 2028.

The CRC 1218 is organized in seventeen scientific and five central projects. The Integrated Research Training Group (mito-RTG), a graduate programme specifically designed for the doctoral candidates and postdoctoral scientists participating in the projects of the CRC, provides them with the best possible scientific environment, guidance, mentoring and teaching.

Mitochondria are dynamic and plastic organelles that are integrated into a complex network of cellular signalling cascades. They respond to alterations in cellular physiology and they themselves signal to determine cell fate and function. These complex and bi-directional interactions of mitochondria with the cell have implications for their role in disease. The CRC 1218 will tackle the challenge of mitochondrial complexity using novel interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches.